JL’s Ultimate Countdown Planner: Part Three
Congratulations – you’ve made it to the final stage of wedding planning
If you’ve followed my ultimate countdown from the start, all your hard work and 18 month journey is drawing to a close.
These final weeks are about fine-tuning the plans you’ve made, compiling your finishing touches and making sure key people know how you wish your special day to unfold.
With the help of this mini-series, I hope you’ve found my top tips useful and have enjoyed planning your wedding. Remember to savour these last few weeks of planning as your special day will soon be here, you’ll soon be a married couple and the process will be complete!
6-8 Weeks to go
Finishing touches
1. Attend your first dress fitting
2. Start your table plan
3. Confirm your bookings
Ensure you reconfirm all suppliers and vendor bookings. This includes arranging timings for the big day and a point of contact for them to liaise with. My top tip is to delegate the point of contact so that you’re not being hassled on your day, so this is where you call upon your maids or groomsmen to manage suppliers if you are not using a planner.
4. Make a list of group shots
5. Create your timeline
Create a timeline of the day and distribute this to key people, including the point of contact at the venue (usually a wedding co-ordinator), your photographer, your maid of honour, best man, and anyone else who may be responsible for ensuring the day runs to plan.
6. Pick your playlists
7. Finalise any wedding party gifts
If you’re choosing to buy wedding party gifts, now is a good time to tick this off your list. I recommend something tangible that can be cherished for a long time after the wedding – jewellery is always a winner! Think bracelets, cufflinks, earrings, tie clips or necklaces.
8. Confirm your speeches
Identify who wants to perform a speech, ensure they have it written and preferably rehearsed! This is for the simple fact that it will help to reduce nerves on the day. Furthermore, if they can rehearse it in front of someone else, they will be able to give pointers and ‘sense-check’ the content (*ahem Best Man Speech!*).
1 week to go
The Final Countdown
1. Attend rehearsals
Invite the bridal party, grooms party and immediate families to attend rehearsals if you’re having a church wedding. This is when the buzz starts to build as it all becomes very real!
2. Collect your dress
3. Groom’s Attire
Collect the grooms’ suit and ensure polished shoes, an ironed shirt, socks and neckwear are purchased and placed with the suit ready for the morning. This will ensure there is no last-minute panic on the morning of the wedding.
4. Pamper time
5. Brief your key people
With the help of your timeline, complete one final run-through of the day with your key people. You want the day to run smoothly and the devil is in the detail!
6. Make a plan for returning hired items
7. Enjoy setting up
If you have access to the venue, enjoy setting it up the day before. This is a great opportunity to invite your parents, bridal-party and grooms-party to get involved, give them a sneak peak and talk them through various details. With both sides of the family together, enjoy this quality time!
8. It’s show time!
With nothing else left to do, it’s time to spend time with your loved ones and get your beauty sleep ahead of your big day. I wish you the very best of luck, hope the day goes to plan and is everything you’ve ever dreamed of.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the final instalment of my ultimate countdown planner. By following my top tips, I hope you arrive at your special day feeling calm, collected and ready to watch your big day unfold.
If you feel like you could benefit from help planning your wedding – from styling to wedmin, a full planning service to pay-as-you-go consultancy – why not get in touch? I offer bespoke packages to suit you. Visit Our Services for more information or email me if you have a wedding you’d like to discuss.
